We recently connected with Stasia Dempster and have shared our conversation below.

Stasia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

A longtime search and rescue client of mine stayed after a group class one day to chat. We began discussing dog sports and I mentioned that agility was one of my favorite sports to train. I find immense joy in teaching it as a sport, but also find tremendous benefit in using agility training to benefit working dogs and boosting confidence in many pet dogs. I used to offer agility training at a previous facility, but since leaving that job, I did not have access to reliable equipment. My client asked me if I would like to offer agility training again, and I replied that definitely plan to once I have access to equipment.

A couple of weeks later, my husband mentioned that a semi-truck was pulling into our driveway. At first we thought that perhaps the driver was turning around, but then they parked.

My husband went outside to ask if the driver needed help, and then returned exclaiming that he “asked where to unload the shipment.” I immediately recognized my husband’s suspicious facial reaction, and proclaimed that I definitely hadn’t made any massive impulse purchases. We watched through the window as the driver unloaded several pallets worth of boxes.

As soon as the truck pulled away, I went outside to analyze the delivery. Surely whatever this was had been delivered to the wrong address. Most of the boxes were labelled, but not obviously. It took me a moment to locate a label obvious enough to understand, but eventually I found one.

It read, “12′ Dog Walk.” I was… baffled. After tearing off as much of the strong plastic wrapping securing the boxes as I could, I also discovered that a 9′ A-Frame lie within the large pile of boxes. I checked the shipping label several times over, and it had been correctly delivered to me. My client never confessed to purchasing these pieces of agility contact equipment (I still thanked them a million times over), but they did come help us set them up.

To this day, I still can’t really believe that this happened. It is very difficult to describe the feeling of being blessed by true generosity and selflessness, but it was surreal. I’m pretty sure that I was waiting to “wake up” from the experience for the next week or so, but evidently it really happened!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have known that my calling was to work with animals since I first learned what they were. I begged my parents for a kitten when I was two years old (a demand which they reluctantly agreed to), and the rest is history. By 11 years of age, I was competing in 4H with my Golden Retriever, Honee, and spending as many days as possible at the barn where I rode horses. Even though I did not really intend to pursue dog training as a career, I had started a dog training business as a home school project in 9th grade, which I used as a catalyst to work with the dogs of neighboring families. At this point, I was regularly working with dogs and horses, and I continued to train dogs through high school and college.

My life plan was always to become a veterinarian. To me, nothing was as rewarding as bettering the life of animals and helping them live out their potential. Fate had other plans for me, however, and I ended up with a psychology degree, a communications degree, and a job working as a veterinary technician at a clinic which dealt with a lot of fearful pets. I had worked at a high volume boarding facility prior to this job as a trainer and kennel technician, but did not work with many serious behavioral cases during my time there. While working at the clinic, I had the opportunity to begin working with more serious behavioral cases and learning about the clinical side of companion animal behavior. Eventually I decided to create a training business of my own which I operated alongside my job at the vet.

Eventually life led me to North Carolina, where I had enrolled in a certification program aimed at teaching students how to train working dogs (police dogs, search and rescue dogs, detection dogs, etc) in addition to providing students opportunities to work with serious behavioral cases. During this time I developed a passion for training detection and search and rescue dogs. Watching an animal do something truly incredible – something that its body was literally built to do – is incomparable. Humans will never be able to experience the inconceivable world of having an olfactory system so refined that it can pick out the scent of a single explosive device in a football field, or track the remnant leftovers of a human trail aged hours. This program was paramount in changing my dog training philosophy. Many people just want a dog who will listen to them. So much “training” is about just getting dogs to perform specific behaviors when they are asked, but something very important is lost here: Dog training should enable a dog to truly reach its physical and psychological potential. The “calling” of every dog is different, just like with humans, and the very best training will build them up so that they can reach it. When a dog’s training is built around enabling them to flourish rather than trying to fit them into a box of preconceived notions, the rest often resolves itself. When their needs are met, they don’t try to make entertainment elsewhere. When that bond of trust is established with a handler, they are eager to work. Dogs are truly incredible creatures and more people would recognize this if given the chance.

After graduating from the program with distinctions, I was hired by the company. I specialized in behavior and training search dogs, and I spent several years here. During this time, I enrolled in graduate school on a PhD track in clinical animal behavior, in addition to becoming a certified dog behavioral consultant (CDBC) through the IAABC. Eventually I was hired for a short-term position in Wisconsin implementing a shelter initiative which would minimize behavioral decline in long-stay dogs. After this was accomplished, my family and I moved back to North Carolina, where I started Synapse Canine Learning Center – the company which I run today.

My life’s mission has always been to help animals live their best possible lives. Now, my mission is to maximize the relationship between a dog and their family while helping my clients understand their dog’s potential. We implement a multi-disciplinary approach to dog behavior and training, focusing primarily on neuroscience, ethology, anthrozoology and biology to gain a comprehensive understanding of every dog that we work with. As someone who has spent a lot of time in academia, I strongly believe in the power of using research to guide best practices. I attribute much of our success in dealing with some very complex behavioral cases to this.

“Choose a job that you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” As cliche as it sounds, this adage is so true. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to pursue a profession which I am literally obsessed with, and am excited to see what the future holds for us.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I am very lucky that my business partner (Tom) is also my husband! My husband is from the UK and we met very randomly when MSN Messenger was still a thing. I was 16 at the time, and we flew back and forth for nine years before getting married. We have known each other for 15 years and he is still my best friend.

Tom runs a digital marketing agency, so he designed our website, is paramount in our marketing strategy development, and he takes care of most of the fun administrative duties such as taxes. Tom is totally a data driven numbers guy and is very organized when it comes to the technical side of running a business… and I am pretty much the opposite. We have a brilliant dynamic because of this, and neither of us step on the other person’s toes. Tom is also my greatest supporter and has been with me throughout this entire journey. I am so grateful to have a partner who is supportive of my ideas, even when they are unconventional.

It is so important in business to find a partner whose strengths lie in your weaknesses. Doing this can help reduce potential conflict, helps you make better decisions, and can help prevent you from spending additional money hiring staff to do the major things that you can’t necessarily do well yourself.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

We are always working on improving our reputation, but there are a couple of huge pieces of advice that I have for new business owners (or anyone) trying to improve their reputation within an industry.

Firstly, indirect advertising is invaluable. Do not withhold information from your audience because you fear that they won’t need to hire you – give them as much quality information as you can for free! I do a lot of school talks and demonstrations, offer free community talks and workshops and spend at least some time each week on local Facebook groups answering people’s questions about dog behavior. Getting out there and giving people information which improves their life does not take away from you. It helps brand you as an industry expert and helps people learn what you’re all about before they actually commit to anything. In a society of seemingly limitless information and options, separating yourself from the competition by helping people with no strings attached can do wonders for helping people find you. Providing opportunities for your audience to attain free information, whether through blogs, classes, webinars or social media, will help you reach a much greater audience than not offering these things. Not to mention, you aren’t usually reaching people who have their mental barriers up when you give information away – you are reaching receptive people who are invested and want to know what you have to say.

Secondly, networking is still very important. Many newer business owners seem to be under the impression that the internet is all they need to grow. Yes, the internet can be a tremendous tool for advancing business growth, but don’t underestimate how much knowing the “right” people can help you. I do my best to get out there and make connections with peers whom I admire or respect. I put myself in the places that these people will be, and fight through the anxiety of approaching them and introducing myself. Making the right connections can open doors to opportunities which you will have to work many years for otherwise. Never be afraid to network in the circles you feel are “above” you, and don’t wait for these people to fall out of the sky (.. they won’t). Do the work, get out there and push through your fear – you might be amazed at what will happen!

Lastly, I make a serious effort to gain the right credentials and education. In an unregulated industry filled with random people who decide to become “dog trainers” overnight, I feel that the need for credentialing is at an all time high. I spend time improving my credentials for a few reasons. One, I am always working to learn more, understand more, and improve what I can offer people. Two, credentials help me distinguish myself from the mass of competition out there. Three, if you are considering yourself a dog “behaviorist,” you must have quality credentials to back it up or you have no business dealing with behavioral concerns. Dogs are sentient beings – not items – and practicing something as complex as behavior without education or proof that you understand what you are doing can result in significant injury or harm to that animal’s physical or psychological wellbeing. So many industries these days are unregulated, and anyone can decide to give themselves a title and build a website. Take the time to distinguish yourself from the competition by ensuring that your audience understands why you are better qualified to help them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://synapsecanine.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/synapsecanine/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/synapsecaninelearningcenter
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eustasiadempster
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@synapsecanine